"Watch out! You nearly broad-sided that car!" My father yelled at me.
Can't you do anything right?" Those words hurt worse than blows. I
turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me,
daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my
eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.



"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My
voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.
Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back.



At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to
collect
my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain.
The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What
could I do about him?



Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had
enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against
the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions,
and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with
trophies that attested to his prowess.



The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a
heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside
alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased
him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he
had done as a younger man.



Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An
ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered
CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was
rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.



But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He
obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers
of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of
visitors thinned, and then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left
alone.



My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our
small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help
him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation.

It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I
became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger
out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought
out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up
weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each
session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But
the months wore on and God was silent.



A raindrop struck my cheek. I looked up into the gray sky.
Somewhere up there was "God." Although I believe a Supreme
Being had created the universe. I had difficulty believing that God
cared about the tiny human being on this earth. I was tired of waiting
for a God who didn't answer. Something had to be done and it was up
to me to do it.



The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called
each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I
explained
my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain.
Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed,
"I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article."
I
listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at
a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic
depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were

given responsibility for a dog.



I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a
questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of
disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each
contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black

dogs, spotted dogs - all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each
one
but rejected one after the other for various reasons - too big, too
small,
too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far
corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat
down.



It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a
caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with
shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it
was
his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld
me unwaveringly.



I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked,
then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of
nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring
someone
would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've
heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly. As the
words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to
kill him?"



"Mam," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every
unclaimed dog." I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes
awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said.



I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached
the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the
car
when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. "Ta-da! Look what I got for you,

Dad!" I said excitedly. Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust.
"If I
had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked
out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it"
Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house. Anger
rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into
my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!"



Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words
Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed
and blazing with hate.



We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer
pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in
front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw. Dad's lower jaw

trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger
in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees
hugging the animal.



It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the
pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community.
They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective
moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even
started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and
Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.



Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years.
Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then
late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing
through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at
night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad
lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly
sometime
during the night.



Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered
Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the
rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite
fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in

restoring Dad's peace of mind.



Th e morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day
looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the
pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad
and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his
eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog that had changed his
life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to
entertain strangers." I've often thanked God for sending that angel,"
he said.



For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had
not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right
article... Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter.
His calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . .and the
proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood.



I knew that God had answered my prayers after all